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Friday, November 7, 2014

You know until recently I was not a cat person. I've been a loyal #chihuahua and #minpin survivor for almost 20 years. However, since the creation of Blue Pony Farm in early 2013 I have to say my cats are certainly working their way up the food chain. Recently 9Lives sent us a package of cat food to sample and I have to say my cats were overjoyed at finally getting some real "awards" that they deserve around the farm. Morris sent along an article I think you'll enjoy that pretty much sums up what its like living with a cat on a daily basis!

Pictured is Ghost one of our awesomeness barn kitties!

How to Pet a Cat (or Dog if Your Must)

By Morris the cat (9Lives)

One
thing I've discovered throughout my years of living well is that more
than a few humans could really benefit from cat-petting instruction.
Frankly, I’m surprised it’s not a lesson they teach in school.

Although
every cat is different and has a unique set of purr-worthy zones, us
felines usually have some common petting preferences. So put down your
smart phone. Fasten your seat belt. Make sure your seatbacks and tray
tables are in their fully upright and locked positions. It's time to
learn some life skills, people!

To bond
with your cat — and receive a happy purr or friendly head butt, if you
do it right -- follow my specific steps for these 9 must-learn and
must-do cat petting techniques:

Step 1: Locate the underside of the chin where the jawbone connects to the skull.
Step 2: Take one hand and scratch rapidly like your fingers are doing "The Riverdance."
Step 3: Listen for a Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. (Congratulations, you're doing it right!)

Step 1: Place your thumb and forefinger behind our ears.
Step 2: Rub them back and forth like Johnny Manziel after scoring a touchdown.
Step 3: Watch us melt into a purring ball of cuddles. (Hint: Drool is good!)

Step 1: Feel the spot at the base of your cat’s skull where the head meets the neck.
Step 2: Use your finger and thumb to create a circular motion for 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 3: Watch your cat rub his face against you like a little furry windshield wiper.

Step 1: Put your thumb and index finger on the top of your cat's head.
Step 2: Pretend you are a large lobster and gently pinch your thumb and index finger back and forth.
Step 3: Your cat will likely blink and nod in approval (and lucky you for having opposable thumbs!).

Step 1: Place one hand in a flat position on the upper portion of your cat's back.
Step 2: Swoop your hand down the entire length of your cat's back saying “smooooth” as you do it.
Step 3: You may feel us stretch out our limbs and paws in kitty delight.

Step 1: Put down your smartphone and place two hands on our lower back and sides.
Step 2: Position your fingers to form a cat-ready fine-tooth comb.
Step 3: Move your hands to and fro, pausing every so often to let us ask for more.

NOTE: I highly recommend pairing this petting experience with a follow-up nap in a nice sunny spot.

Step 1: Locate your cat's temporal gland on the upper cheek between the eye and ear.
Step 2: Keep your fingers relaxed but firm and give your cat a nice scratch.
Step 3: Much like an NFL football player, you may become the recipient of a friendly head butt.

Step 1: Place two hands on your cat's back, one on each shoulder blade.
Step 2: Press inward with your palms and use soft circular movements (but don't press on the spine).
Step 3: Feel great about your rapid accumulation of positive kitty points and good cat karma.

Wanna know exactly what a cat sees?

Check out my first 'catventure' where I am outfitted with cutting-edge wearable technology straight from Silicon Valley:

And
guess what? I'm now on social media. That's right, I can tweet and
hashtag like the best of them (#YOL9 !!). So what are you waiting for,
follow me back!

Disclosure: I was given a a copy of sample package of 9lives cat food
for review, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My
opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are
never influenced by sponsors.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Barney Mother Goose Collection is one of my favorite Barney DVD sets of all time. Barney and his friends visit Mother Goose's world and sing and act out so many of the favorite nursery rhymes and songs such as London Bridge, Humpty Dumpty, Hickory Dickory Dock and so many more. I was almost embarrassed to learn that Connor really didn't know any of the songs included so he had a great time watching the show and learning all the nursery rhyme songs! Also included on the dvd is a sing along that features fifteen of the songs included in the dvd and a rhyme a long that includes 17 of the rhymes. Connor almost prefers the sing along to the dvd itself! What we really really love about this set though is the fact that it comes with a music cd that you can take along with you in the car of Barney and his friends singing some of the favorite songs included on the dvd! Also included is an activity book that you can take along with you in the car or just enjoy at home, it's fairly small so you can easily tuck it in your purse or diaper bag for a quick activity on the go!

You can purchase your own copy of Barney Mother Goose Collection on dvd right now on Amazon!

Disclosure: I was given a a copy of Barney Mother Goose Collection for review, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Connor is four, with four comes all sorts of new challenges but the biggest one we have been facing lately is him taking his brother's stuff and trying to pretend it was his in the first place. Today they practically drove me nutty at the barn. I gave them two water bottles which soon multiplied into six water bottles (someone ran back and got more out of the fridge) and the worst part is by the end I had no clue who's water bottle was whose.. and even worst which one was mine! Poor Dylan got the short end of the stick as pretty much any water bottle he claimed his brother came in and stole it pretty quickly and switched him out the less full one he was carrying. When I got home I realized, today would have been a great day for some Zippies.

Zippies are some of the coolest ID tags we have ever seen. First of all they are super heavy duty rubbery animal faces which won't fall apart, bend, or break on you in the first use. Most of them are pretty non gender specific and they come in a variety of different animal faces from bunnies to lizards to toads (my personal favorite) so there is bound to be one your child will like. Though all that aside that is not at all what I love about them. What I really love is their genius way that they hook on to your stuff, or should I say the several ways they can hook on to your stuff. The first and most obvious way is they come with a very heavy duty elastic cord and tightener which is great for hooking over the top of water bottles, hooking to backpacks, looping over small stuffed animals, and even attaching to your child's door knob or dresser knob so you can easily find your Zippie on the way to school. The second is a ring that is slightly under the draw string that opens up almost like a little key chain clasp which can be used for a key chain, hooking onto loops, belts, or really anything you can clip something on. The last way is you can actually take the Zippie off the ring itself and hook it onto a necklace, bracelet, or put it on your own ring, loop, or snap. Needless to say how you use your Zippies is totally up to you!

I have a Zippie on each of the boy's backpacks, and I try to remember to put them in my purse to identify our drinks as even though my boys are not reading yet they can still identify their animals to find their own drinks or even toys. You can learn more about Zippies as well as check out all the different designs on the Zippies website.

Now here comes the fun part!

Zippies has offered to give a set of five Zippies to one lucky reader!

To Enter :

Leave a comment on this post. Just check out the Zippies website and let us know which Zippie is your favorite!

Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.

Please US entries only.

To get extra credit :

For an extra entry - Please post each extra entry in a separate post :

Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add my button to your sidebar and let me know its there. (please note if you have our old button on your sidebar you'll need to update the link/image)

Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!

Let people know about the giveaway on Twitter with a link to the giveaway!

Disclosure: I was given a set of Zippies for review, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

I'm praying for fall as soon as possible but in the meantime you and your kids can cool off watching Fanboy & Chum Chum Brain Freeze out on DVD. Connor is absolutely obsessed with this wacky super hero duo and I can't blame him as they are pretty silly and like Connor it seems they are always getting themselves into trouble. This dvd is purely dedicated to Fanboy and Chum Chum's favorite treat, the coveted Frosty Freezy Freeze! All seven episodes are about the drink and what the boys will do to get their hands on one!

Episodes included :

Brain Freeze - FanboyandChumChum discover that their favorite Frosty Freezy Freeze flavor, Berry Pink, is about to be discontinued. Determined to have as much as they can before it’s gone forever, they end up with a massive brain freeze. The next morning, FanboyandChumChum wake up with no memory of what happened and their signature tighty-whiteys are missing. They must retrace their steps to find out how their crazy night unraveled so they can find their precious underwear and restore order.

Berry Sick - During a summer heat wave, the boys discover the Frosty Freezy Freeze machine is on the fritz. It’s up to FanboyandChumChum to get the Berry the Ice Monster, the machine’s operator, back in good health.

Refill Madness - Lenny and Boog learn that FanboyandChumChum have a valuable cup that entitles them to endless free refills at the Frosty Mart. The two decide to work together to try to steal the cup.

The Frosty Bus - FanboyandChumChum are waiting for the Frosty Bus to buy a Frosty Freezy Freeze. Unfortunately, Boog is driving and torments them by always keeping their beverages just out of reach.

Jingle Fever -When FanboyandChumChum find out they can win a million Frosty Bucks by writing the new Frosty Mart jingle, Lenny does everything in his power to stop them.

Back from the Future - After FanboyandChumChum show Lenny that Dollar-nator is a time machine, he decides to use him to travel back in time and prevent FanboyandChumChum from ever tasting a Frosty Freezy Freeze. But despite his greatest efforts, the boys somehow always end up discovering Frosty Freezy Freeze.

Norse-ing Around - FanboyandChumChum discover a frozen Viking in their icebox and decide to help him “achieve glory” so he can get into Valhalla.

Connor especially loves the episode where the Fanboy and Chum Chum get the brain freeze and loose their underwear. He will watch it over and over laughing hysterically each time. At first I really did think the show was a little on the silly side but compared to some of the other kid's programing these days I'd much rather see my kids laugh and enjoy a show verses put something on the tv that has too much violence or adult topics. Fanboy and Chum Chum is purely just good fun.

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Fanboy & Chum Chum Brain Freeze free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Shaun our favorite sheep has a brand new dvd out that is sure to thrill all your little sheep lovers in the house! I've said this before about Shaun but it never fails to marvel me that a show can be so incredibly entertaining to have absolutely NO words. Shaun and his friends are sheep.. they don't exactly talk much. Though there is never any doubt as to what the sheep are up to or how incredibly funny their antics become.

There are seven episodes included on this dvd :

The Big Chase

Bitzer From the Black Lagoon

Zebra Ducks of the Serengeti

Bitzer’s Basic Training

The Magpie

The Boat

Hide & Squeak

Connor especially loved the title episode The Big Chase! Timmy decide to steal the farmers brand new four wheeler and the sheep have to find a way to chase him down. I had to laugh as honestly it's exactly the kind of thing that Connor would do himself if given the chance. Plus anything involving Timmy is always a good laugh.

I've always highly recommended Shaun the Sheep dvds for friends going on long car trips. They are perfect for sticking in the portable dvd player as they are not as distracting as other movies I've found and my kids can't keep their eyes off of them. Even Dylan finds Shaun super funny!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Shaun The Sheep - The Big Chase free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Anyone who knows me and Connor will tell you that we wear sandals just about everywhere. So much so that it's not uncommon to see one or both of us sporting sandals in the winter. Though I love shoes, I just am a sandal girl always have been. I think I picked the habit up growing up in the south and from my mother who is just as guilty as I am. So needless to say the first thing Connor asked for when summer came was a new pair of sandals.

Though Connor loves flip flops, just like his mom, they just do not hold up to all the running and jumping that boy does. So we needed something that would hold up to all that jumping and running and still look great. Umi Shoes has been one of our long term favorites for tennis shoes and dressier shoes and when I saw the Nyoni I knew we had his new sandals for the summer. These sandals are as well built and have the same sort of sole and insoles that you would expect from a tennis shoe. What I really love though is the fact that the straps and heel strap are all padded. We've had some real problems in the past with sandals rubbing holes in Connor's heels and these ones show no sign of that happening and I know his feet will be well supported. They also feature very heavy duty velcro straps which will take the abuse that young children put on velcro shoes.

I especially love the color choices offered this year. We went with the ocean color in the Nyoniwhich has a green accent that runs all around the shoe. Most of Connor's wardrobe falls within blue and green and they match nicely to just about everything in his wardrobe. Though if I bought a second pair we'd get the chocolate for his dressier outfits. Don't worry girls they come in pink too!

Umi Shoes offers really exceptional shoes that hold up great and look even better! Connor has several pairs that he will be passing down to Dylan and they still look awesome. If your headed over there and are looking for a great looking pair of tennis type shoes I highly recommend you check out the Oleson as well. I've been drooling over them for weeks!

Disclosure: We were given a pair of Nyonisandals free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

First of all I need to tell you guys that I absolutely love anything related to NASA and missions in space. This has alot to do with the fact that in the years before my grandfather died most of our conversations went around the current mars mission and listening to NPR together to get all the current updates. My grandfather was fascinated and his excitement was nearly impossible not to wear off on you. Plus I grew up on National Geographic and documentaries. While most kids watched cartoons I couldn't keep my eyes off any sort of learning or nature show.

With that said the release of some of the most breath taking nature and earth dvds in the last few years have had me in total awe and practically drooling on the cases. Though the IMAX Hubble release hasn't gotten as much press as some of the other dvds that have come out in the past year or two it should not be ignored and images alone makes me really wish I would have caught this one in all of its IMAX glory in the theater.

The documentary follows the 2009 crew that was sent to rescue the Hubble Space Telescope. You follow the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as they set out to rescue the oldest and very well known telescope. It takes five space walks and a pretty risky maneuver with a mechanical arm to fix the Hubble but the images and video captured during the mission is breathtaking to say the least. I wish they would make more such documentaries as I really think if people payed even a little bit of attention to the space program they would be as fascinated. Maybe a little more recognition and more people would realize just how important our space program and NASA truly is.

I can't say enough great things about IMAX Hubble and regardless if you have kids or you just want to watch something that will take your breath away it's an awesome video and I promise you will want to watch it more than once.

Disclosure: We were given a copy of IMAX Hubble free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Willy has a favorite stuffed friend or "pet" as Connor likes to call him named Bobo. Bobo is from the very beginning of the book a quite popular plush monkey. Willy wakes up one morning to realize that his beloved Bobo is no where to be found, not even under the bed, and Willy does everything with Bobo!! Well it seems that Earl, Willy's crazy cat, loves Bobo as much as Willy does and he's hiding in the bed with him!

I had to laugh right there as though Connor's favorite "pet" is not nearly as important to him as Bobo is to Willy he does get rather upset when he can't find Helicopter (his current name though it changes as well... a plush black dog that is shaped really similar to Bobo in this book). He does routinely argue with my chihuahua Melos and the face he gives Melos is very very similar to the look that Willy gives Earl every time he catches him with Bobo. So needless to say Connor really got into the storyline and loves to point out how naughty Earl is just like "his" Melos.

Personally I absolutely love I Must Have Bobo! and it's become one of my favorite quick reads as it's one of those picture books that you can really get into when your reading it out loud. Connor especially loves it when I throw my arms up in the air and I say "I MUST HAVE BOBO!" really loud every time Willy has lost Bobo again!. He also loves to squeal "BAD EARL!!" every time Earl takes off with Bobo when Willy is not watching. It's a fairly fast read with only one real phrase per page but on the nights that I'm especially tired and I want a book that has a big bang without having to spend two hours reading it, Bobo has moved to my top ten list in choices.

The graphics in the book are simplistic on a creamy yellow backdrop. No major elabrate drawings or super bright colors so if your looking for a stunning picture book you may have to look twice at I Must Have Bobo! as though it is rather "simple" I love the fact that it's not busy and it's all very tasteful. It's one of those books that will look as good 20 years from now as it does now. It reminds me a little of the same sort of "look" as Harold and the Purple Crayon from my youth where only the important items in the background other than Harold have any real detail.

I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal is a super fun read for both children and adults and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of I Must Have Bobo! free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Oh Angelina, you just can not get any more girlier than this mouse. Actually it cracks me up, people always misspelled my name Angelina instead of Angela though I'm still not sure why. To top it off I'm pretty sure I had a lavender tutu just like Angelina's when I briefly took ballet lessons but I quickly learned I'm not really the dancing type. Regardless I think every little girl dreams of a few things growing up, being a princess, owning a unicorn, and being a dancer. I still dream of two of the three.. heh.

Angelina fans will absolutely love this dvd but really it shines as an introduction to Angelina! Angelina has just moved and has found herself in a new home and a new school. She has to adjust to her new surroundings, something I know about all too well, and a new school, teachers, and friends! I think every little kid, and adult, has some fears of being in a new place and new people. Seeing Angelina adapt and thrive is a great lesson for any child! Plus who can resist a mouse in a tutu?

Included Episodes :

Angelina's New Home

Angelina's New Ballet Teacher

Angelina En Pointe

Angelina's Ballet School

Angelina and the New Music Store

Plus!

"Create Your Own Dream Routine" Game

What is really unusual about this dvd is there are no bonus episodes from other Hit Entertainment characters. Though it makes up for it in the fact that all the episodes you get are just all about Angelina.

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Angelina Ballerina : Ballet Dreams free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Spongebob Squarepants : The Great Party Caper is brand new seven episode Spongebob collection featuring the title episode The Great Party Caper. Spongebob seems to endlessly entertain Connor and Chris but I've really never been a huge Spongebob fan though I do enjoy the fact that it keeps my crazed munchkin entertained. However, The Great Patty Caper episode by far has been one of my favorite episodes to date. Spongebob and Patrick have to find the missing Patty recipe. It was stolen from the vault... could Plankton be behind this one?

The other six episodes included are not mystery episodes and really follow no particular theme.. but they all seem to be from season seven so if your waiting on that season seven collection this is a great way to get a few of the episodes now to enjoy.

Included Episodes :

The Great Patty Caper - It’s part whodunit, part whereisit as SpongeBob, Patrick and Plankton take a train to search for the Krabby Patty recipe’s latest hiding place.

Growth Spout - When Pearl starts growing rapidly, Mr. Krabs’ wallet is in for a fight to survive.

Stuck in the Wringer - SpongeBob gets himself into quite a situation when he gets stuck in a wringer after his shower.

Someone’s in the Kitchen with Sandy - In his latest attempt to steal the Krabby Patty formula, Plankton disguises himself as Sandy.

The Inside Job - In another crazy move for the Krabby Patty formula, Plankton manages to infiltrate SpongeBob’s head.

All in all that's 89 minutes of Spongebob goodness including some very short but cute animated shorts. A great pre-season seven edition to your collection!

Spongebob The Great Patty Caper is available right now on DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Spongebob Squarepants : The Great Party Caper free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Ok call me a total geek but I giggled like a mindless supervillian when this dvd came in the mail. Invader Zim has long been one of my favorite and if you ask me one of the most under appreciated kids. Why they ever took it off the air in the first place is beyond me but it's one of those cartoons that adults as well as kids can really enjoy. Actually I was an avid Invader Zim watcher way before I even thought about having kids. Invader Zim's creator Johnen Vasquez is my comic book hero of all time creating the very dark but super funny Johnny the Homicidal Maniac series and Squee both of which will make me squeal for joy and both of which are the two comic books that I read over and over on a fairly regular basis.

Invader Zim was most certainly written more for the main stream and lacks most of the dark aspects of the comic book series but it still includes the quirky humor. How can you NOT like Invader Zim... he's a robot banished to Earth and he decides to discuise himself as a human and go to school so he can learn more about the humans. He isn't very popular but maybe that has a little to do with the fact that all he ever thinks about is how he is going to take over the world. My favorite character is by far Gir though.. possibly he is sort of the opposite to Zim like Squee was to Johnny. Melos (my beloved Chihuahua was almost named Gir but I realized he was a little too smart to be Gir early on). Gir is completely mad, totally messed up, robot companion of Zim's and I have to say he's easily if anything a huge factor in why I was totally obessed with this show when it was on the air. They could have made a Gir show all on its own and I would have ended up sitting there hours on end drooling on the screen. He's cute, completely idiotic, and aboslutely hiallrious.

Now let me squeal with joy when I tell you that though this is not the complete set of episodes made for Invader Zim, Invader Zim : Operation Doom includes 14 episodes of the series which is close enough to the whole series as if I'm not mistaken there are only 20ish episodes of the show total, which still totally depresses me. And though its not as fancy, nor does it include any extras, as perviously released box sets it will also not set you back $50+ like those would. So if your a Invader Zim fan or if you just want to add a little evil robot takes over the world to your dvd colllection I highly.. HIGHLY.. recommend you buy this dvd. I rarely say this, but if I could recommend any Nickelodean release this year this would hands down be the one I'd buy.

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Invader Zim : Operation Doom free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

Monday, March 21, 2011

I was not lucky enough to grow up with American Girl Dolls, they really came on the scene after I became too old to really show interest. I did however grow up with Anne of Green Gables and the Secret Garden and Felicity has the same sort of appeal.

American Girl Adventures are dvd adaptations of American Girl Dolls stories. Each doll has it's own story line and book and these dvds are just a extension of that. Felicity won my heart right away as well she loves an abused horse that she calls Penny and wants to set her free. A girl after my own heart indeed!

Felicity has more than just horses on the mind though, she has to learn how to juggle the expectations set on her as well as the revolution that is coming. People that she loves are conflicted between being loyal to the king and wanting to live free as their own independent country. Friendships and her own family is divided. As well she has to juggle the struggle in her own heart between growing up and taking her place as a lady in society and her adventurist spirit and what she feels is right. The horse she calls Penny belongs to a man who mistreats his animals and she wants nothing more than to free his animals from his cruelty. Though it may not be the same issues girls face today the spirit of the issues is the same. We all struggle with our own sense of self and sense of right and what society and family puts on us.

American Girl Doll fans I'm sure will also enjoy seeing their favorite doll brought to life!

Dylan is here!

Dylan Michael Page was born on February 18th at 6:40 am! He weighed in at 8lbs 6oz and was 20.5 inches long. You can read updates on my Facebook and Twitter feeds as well as follow our daily life posts for more about him!